Book Review: Enchanted by Starlight by Tina L. Hook

The first thing I'm going to tell you about Enchanted by Starlight, by Tina L. Hook, is that initially I had some trouble getting into it. However, I'm definitely not one to give up on a book - sometimes they need to marinate in my mind for a bit while I become accustomed to the style and the voice. So I steadfastly read on, and before long it began to grow on me. This book is different, and not quite what I expected. But different is good, and I enjoy a change of pace in my reading.

Enchanted by Starlight switches viewpoints among three inter-connected characters: Grace, Skylar, and Alina. They knew each other once upon a time, and were each endowed with special talents by enchanted comets in their youth. Grace can make men fall in love with her, Skylar has a charmed social life, and Alina has the power to intuitively exact revenge. Each young lady chose her gift with a wish, and each chose something that she felt was lacking or needed in her personal life. Although they grow up and go their separate ways, eventually their paths cross again, which leads to pain, confusion, and regrets.

At the beginning of each chapter, the heading lets the reader know who is speaking in that chapter. Nonetheless, at times I found it difficult to follow whose life I was reading about and the particulars of that character. I just re-read the back of the book, and had I done that a few times during my reading of the book, I probably would have been a  lot less confused. Mingled love lives make the confusion more pervasive, but if you can manage to keep track of characters, you'll be fine!

This is a fantasy book rooted in reality. The characters are genuine...their world is very real...but their powers are otherworldly. If you don't mind a sprinkle of the unknown mixed into your fiction, give Enchanted by Starlight a chance.